The day finally came to an end and all the students presented their gold eggs to mother Anastasia who granted them grades. All of his friends had managed to find all the three eggs but he found one even after a whole day of searching.
After 30 minutes, mother Anastasia came with the report. Nova and Lilah received perfect scores all around. Tina and Adriel Arkwright, were the best in test three and Ezra was the worst receiving a score of zero.
Ezra looked at her, confused. He demanded explanations that he was about to receive.
"Ezra Jameson. Even though you managed to get one egg, you never used your soul animal instincts to find it. As a matter of fact, I ran some tests as you were unconscious and found that you don't possess a soul animal." said mother Anastasia.
Everyone began laughing at Ezra. He looked down to the floor as thoughts flooded his mind. He knew that he didn't have a soul animal but it seemed unfair to give him a zero just because of it. He still worked heard to get that egg. Isn't that enough?
"What a loser? He doesn't have a soul animal and he even didn't try to at least find all three eggs and found an eagle instead. What a loser?"
"Shut up. All of you. I'm tired of listening to all of you." yelled Nova.
"So what if he doesn't have a soul animal. He still beat all your asses in the earlier tests. He is a part of the college. Soul animal or not."
"That's true. Though I feel you don't understand the significance of soul animals." said mother Anastasia.
Everyone listened as she began to give them a lesson in soul animals.
A few millennium ago, humans discovered something great that changed their lives forever. Humans discovered paradise, Eden. Though Eden wasn't quite the paradise they thought. It contained horrors beyond human understanding at that time, the Elder Gods, and human discovery of Eden allowed these Elder Gods to roam freely around the world.
These beings helped humanity advance by helping humans understand the concept of bonding were humans could bond their soul with a creature from Eden. This bonding benefitted both the animal and the human. The human would receive the animal's strength while the animal lived longer since animals of Eden deteriorate quickly.
This bonding brought rise to a world of peace and harmony. Although that era didn't last long as the Elder Gods began using the world as their own play ground. They would get worshipped and they would destroy human settlements as they pleased.
Humanity finally had enough and decided that the Elder Gods had to be locked up back into Eden where they came from. Powerful clans from the all over the east, south, west and northern continents joined forces and locked up the Elder Gods into Eden stopping the era of suffering and distraction.
Despite this, every human still had a connection to Eden and they could create a bridge that connected them to it using the animals from it and so the soul animals came about.
Although in order to monitor Eden so as to prevent such and era from the happening again, the four powerful clans gained even more power and formed empires, that govern the world to this day but they needed to have powerful enough warriors to prevent the release of the Elder Gods.
They formed a school that would train the best of the best for that very task. That school is the Aizen College.
A human without a soul animal is considered an anomaly and too weak to survive in this world of soul animals and humans.
The words hit Ezra like a speeding train as he looked at mother Anastasia. The other students looked back at him and laughed even louder at him. Nova tried to get them to shut up but his efforts were in vain.
Ezra touched Nova's shoulder and walked ahead of him like he wanted to say something. Everyone became silent to listen to what he had to say.
"No offence mother Anastasia." he said remembering all the abuse he had received from his father and his step brother.
"I didn't leave William village to give up when I've already joined the college. I have worked extremely hard to be strong enough to not hold anyone back. I appreciate the concern but I'll be fine."
He then left the colosseum and ran away with the eagle following him behind him. Nova tried following him but Lilah held him back.
Mother Anastasia looked at Ezra's file with admiration. She wasn't in any way angry as some students thought but she was surprised and looking forward to seeing what he would do next. The other students were dismissed and allowed to go back to there dorms except for Lilah, Tina, Adriel and Esme Thatcher, who were told to stay behind. Nova on the hand was told to go to mother Pinky.
"Is there any issue, mother Anastasia?" asked Tina.
"No, there is no problem at all. Just that I needed you here because from this point on I'm going to be your mentor. Every student has one or two mentors and I will be the mentor of you four in order to make sure you become your strongest forms."
"You mean that we will be fighting and studying with you?" asked Adriel.
"Yeah, that how we do it here at Aizen College. Let's get stronger together, okay." said mother Anastasia.
Meanwhile Ezra was still running when he tripped and fell down onto his back. The eagle that was following him landed onto his belly and looked him in the eyes.
"Don't die on me, you fool." said the eagle in a female voice.
"You've done it again. You've talked again. How?" asked Ezra.
"I have no idea. You're not supposed to hear me but for some reason you can." said the eagle.
"But I'm speaking in you're head so others can't hear me when I talk to you."
"The other guy that died. He was your master, right."
"Yeah, he was and he died."
"Yeah, I know that, but how are you alive? I thought soul animals die when their master dies."
"I'm a special soul animal. I come from Eden."
Ezra's eyes widened. "Eden. Do you think I'm a fool?"
"Sort of. But I'm not lying to you. Just how many people do you know have eagle soul animals? And I'm alive when my master is dead, in fact, I'm able to speak with you."
"So you're one of those Elder Gods."
"Not quite. I'm Eden's helper and..." The eagle paused and looked up at the sky.
"I have to go. I have to find a new master and complete my mission."
"Wait, wait. What mission?" Ezra asked, confused.
"I have to save Eden."